India, Oct. 8 -- Oil prices jumped sharply on Thursday as fears grew about global oil supplies. The main concern is that attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz are reducing the number of ships using the important waterway. The rise in attacks has increased worries about whether enough oil can reach global markets.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 4.3% to $104.48 a barrel early Thursday. This pushed oil above the $100-a-barrel level again. CNN reported that US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also climbed about 4.3% to $92.05 a barrel.

The number of tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply. Only seven tankers crossed the strait on Tuesday. That was less than half the average number of crossings o...